Performing Arts Center woes examined

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A second public forum on renovations for the East County Performing Arts Center will be Jan. 21 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan Community Center, 195 E. Douglas Ave., El Cajon.

El Cajon officials looking for ideas on how best to renovate the East County Performing Arts Center instead are hearing from people who say better management of the theater – and the city – were their main concerns.

“If it isn’t properly managed, it’s not going to make money,” said Patricia Parlin of El Cajon, one of about 20 participants in a public forum held Wednesday night at the Renette Recreation Center. ﻿“There’s a lot of work to be done here.”

The 1,142-seat performing arts center in downtown El Cajon is going to be closed for two years to undergo renovations while construction is under way at the nearby Public Safety Center. Since it was built in 1977, the theater has gone through a series of managers and has never been profitable.

The city is ending its contract with the most recent theater managers, ArtBeat Management, on Dec. 31. ArtBeat Management, a subsidiary of Christian Youth Theater, managed the theater for four years.

Rob Turner, El Cajon’s director of public works, said the theater has many maintenance issues that need improvement: a leaky roof, better access for the disabled, plumbing problems, small dressing rooms and an insufficient loading dock. City officials also would like to add an entrance off Main Street so theatergoers are more inclined to patronize downtown shops and restaurants.

Turner plans to present a renovation plan to the City Council in February, with construction to begin next December. He hopes the theater will reopen in summer or early fall 2011.

Ron Shelby, president of the Grossmont Community Concert Association, said his volunteer group puts on six sold-out shows a year at the performing arts center, yet few other shows are held.

“That theater has had no effective manager for years,” he said.

The El Cajon City Council rejected a request for a $173,000 subsidy for the theater in this year’s budget. That would have been on top of the $117,222 the city contributes annually for maintenance, insurance and utility costs.

Other cities in the area contribute larger amounts for their performing arts centers. Escondido awarded $1.3 million this year to the California Center for the Performing Arts, and Poway chipped in $631,530 for the Poway Center for the Performing Arts.

Kurt Swanson, a consultant hired by the city for the renovation project, said most theaters lose money.

“The idea is you don’t want it to lose so much money that it doesn’t kill everybody in the process,” he said.

Forum participants said they thought the El Cajon council should provide more financial support for the performing arts center.

“I never felt that the City Council supported the theater,” said Judy James of Rancho San Diego, who said she frequently ushers at the theater.

John Martes, an El Cajon resident who’s twice unsuccessfully run for City Council, said he wasn’t confident the council would make good decisions about running the theater.

“I don’t find their track record, their stewardship, to be very good,” he said.